Superintelligent

Is Meta dying? Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini return to the Superintelligent podcast to debate the beginning of the end for Mark Zuckerberg’s empire. From the failed metaverse and shrinking user base to a $1.4 trillion lawsuit and the $200 million Alexandr Wang hire, the warning signs are stacking up. They also dig into AI data centers driving up prices on everything from phones to housing, the infl...

On this episode of the Superintelligent Podcast, Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini reveal how real people are using ChatGPT for consumer advocacy, medical empowerment, and cutting through corporate fine print. Emily’s mom dodged a $5,000 insurance deductible. Her brother got a seat at the table with BMW mechanics. But there’s a catch: hallucinations, sycophancy, and even contractors weaponizing AI agai...

In this solo edition of the Superintelligent Podcast, Mike Elgan unpacks the rise of AI addiction among AI power users, vibe coders, and “tokenmaxxers” who can’t stop burning through company AI budgets. From Andrej Karpathy’s 16-hour vibe coding marathons to Disney’s runaway Claude usage and Meta’s Clotonomics leaderboard, Mike explores dopamine-driven feedback loops, AI psychosis, sad AI wives, c...

Hosts Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini welcome guest Kevin Elgan—Kagi’s head of education, creator of Chatterbox (a smart speaker for kids that teaches AI literacy), and Mike’s son. They review the recent history of technology in education, the trouble with AI overviews, why ChatGPT misuse is rewriting K–12 learning, and the canceled Next Generation Technology High School in Manhattan. Is there any pl...

Mike and Emily are back on the Superintelligent podcast! In this special episode, the hosts talk about Emily’s TikTok series about the backstories of top tech leaders like Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Jensen Huang. This episode dives deeply into the bizarre trivia, accusations and gossip about these innovators, from Altman’s doomsday prepping and Musk’s childhood bullies to Huang founding Nvidia at...

In this episode of Superintelligent, Mike Elgan goes solo (as co-host Emily Forlini takes maternity leave from the podcast), ponders why OpenAI suddenly killed its groundbreaking video generation tool, Sora, and addresses the growing backlash against “AI slop.” The backlash shows up when parents slam YouTube for strange videos made for kids, and when Coca-Cola’s reputation gets hammered from AI-ge...

Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini dive into the growing list of AI-related mental health conditions (and psuedo-mental health conditions). From AI psychosis and chatbot dependency syndrome to AI FOMO, LLM gaslighting, and dead internet despair, they unpack the real psychological toll of generative AI — just three years after ChatGPT launched. The hosts also debate remote work versus in-office flexibili...

Channeling an off-the-cuff AM radio program, Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini explore today’s relentlessly negative tech discourse. Are algorithms—and human nature—trapping us in a doom loop? Maybe. But most AI problems are likely temporary. They explore authenticity in a synthetic world, unpack AI FOMO, and celebrate the fact that you can podcast globally for free during a blizzard—even if the camera...

In this episode of Superintelligent, hosts Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini get philosophical. They debunk the myth of the screenless revolution and argue that upcoming AI devices from OpenAI, Google, Apple and others are mere peripheral devices to screens. They applaud the bipartisan movement to ban smartphones in schools, but society is far from saved. Case in point: Daters now have to worry about g...

Here comes Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini to dissect the chaotic and unpredictable state of AI chatbots in this episode of Superintelligent. They explore the rampant commodification of models like ChatGPT and Gemini while slamming useless benchmarks. The hosts ponder the future of AI hardware and the dangers of OpenClaw. Discover why writing is thinking and how to avoid cognitive atrophy in the age...

Why can’t you trust your weather app in a snowstorm? Join hosts Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini as they navigate the chaos of the weekend storm and debate the reliability of modern weather apps versus traditional TV meteorologists, and now TikTok weather experts. (RIP Farmer’s Almanac.) Plus, your favorite hosts ask the questions nobody has the answer to: What’s the best way to do social media in 202...

Emily and Mike are mad this week. Join the dynamic duo as they dissect the disaster of Google AI Overviews stealing from content creators, then stealing the eyeballs and ad revenue of people looking for that content. A big new deal with Apple could make it worse. Superintelligent also tackles the inevitable dorkiness of smart glasses and the mental health risks of constant connectivity and persona...

Superintelligent hosts Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini explore the link between churning homemade butter and the craving for authenticity in the new world of fake AI everything. They talk about Google’s new Gmail AI features as the most recent example of companies pushing everyone to use AI for communication. The hosts allow themselves to be influenced by influencer and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri,...

Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini explore the future of home automation by debating the merits of humanoid robots versus the new concept of "ambient robotics." They discuss why invisible tech like self-cleaning litter boxes beats Elon Musk’s lawn-mowing androids and how Carnegie Mellon is creating kitchen appliances that anticipate what you need. The duo also shares their 2025 tech resolutions, coverin...

In this episode of Superintelligent, Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini dive into the new trend of old tech. Younger people are ditching smartphones and embracing flip phones. They unpack stories of Gen Z and millennial “lone wolves” who gave up TikTok, dating apps and infinite scroll for deeper work, better sleep and real-world skills. Links “The Matrix” flip phone TCL FLIP 4 5G flip phone CAT S22 flip...

Mike and Emily challenge their bias that all AI relationships are bad using a real world example—with a scandalous twist. With companion chatbots becoming more common, how do people resist delusion? What’s the end point for simulated relationships? Links Joi.ai Blade Runner 2049’s Joi Ready for the ‘torment nexus’? Her Follow Us Website: superintelligentpodcast.com Email: superintelligentpodcast@g...

Your favorite podcast hosts clock in to tech’s 996 work culture. That means working 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week, a concept that moved from China to Silicon Valley. Emily unpacks the particulars of the 996 phenomenon, revealing the burnout, competition, and absurd expectations at some of the world’s biggest tech companies. Mike shares his own ‘workaholic’ past. Plus, the Superintelligent hosts of...

Hosts Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini take a hard look at humanoid hardware, those overpriced mechanical houseguests we’ve all seen in science fiction and self-driving cars that cant quite drive themselves. Mike shuts down the humanoid delusion, while Emily calls out the anthropomorphic marketing ruse tech titans pull to appease pro-natalist narcissist types. Also: The hosts get personal, sharing pra...

The latest episode of the Superintelligent podcast, hosted by Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini, dives into the technology angle on the mafia using NBA players and coaches to run gambling scams, the absurdity of AI opinion polarization, and a comprehensive look at “currant” scone matters. Links FBI Busts Mob, NBA Players for Gambling Scheme: Here’s the Tech They Used https://www.pcmag.com/news/fbi-bust...

Hosts Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini talk about how people might adapt to a world of AI content. Will people lower their standards and just not care? Or will the trend trigger a backlash and demand for the real world and content created by people? This Superintelligent episode tackles the whole media ecosystem, what’s wrong with it and how it can be saved for the benefit of all. Links Here Comes the...

Don’t look now, but here comes another thrilling episode of Superintelligent!! The AI-generated elephant in the room remains Sora 2 and its fake TikTok anti-social social network. OpenAI launched their latest video generation tool alongside an AI-generated social media feed, and Sam Altman admitted the entire endeavor exists to monetize their business. It’s a profit deal! Mike brings attention to...

In this episode of Superintelligent, we dove headlong into the spectacle of the Meta Connect event, where Mark Zuckerberg and team set out to convince us that the future is wearable, voice-activated, wrist-twitching and dorky. Yes, we’re talking about the Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses and their neural band companion—the gadget duo supposedly destined to replace keyboards and smartphones. The demo w...

This episode of Superintelligent urgently explores the impact of social platforms on our daily lives. We opened against the backdrop of a tragedy — the assassination of political influencer Charlie Kirk. What is the role of social media in creating political division, personal crisis, and violence? The illusion is intimacy — and that global events are personally relevant. The reality is that on so...

This week on Superintelligent, we tackled the spectacular rise of “Blame AI!” culture, where everyone from politicians to pop stars can now attribute any inconvenient fact, viral video, or even White House trash-bag scandal to AI-generated fakery. We explored how ordinary cultural events—like a K-pop musical hit or a Will Smith Instagram—that seem “too perfect” now get hit with AI accusations, oft...

On “Superintelligent” this week, we dove headfirst into the counterintuitive overlap of design, politics, and tech. President Trump hired Airbnb’s co-founder to pretty up government websites. That sound like a joke, but at least he’s not tasked to decorate the White House like an Airbnb. Another Trump initiative is to design government buildings in a classical, non-modern style, which raised the q...